


shelter

by littlemsmessy



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-01
Updated: 2012-12-01
Packaged: 2017-11-19 23:17:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/578723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemsmessy/pseuds/littlemsmessy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ned decides he’s had enough, but Nancy can’t accept his decision.</p>
            </blockquote>





	shelter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ndnickerson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/gifts).



> This is a one-shot Nancy/Ned fic that I wrote for ndnickerson’s birthday. Since she writes such incredible stories, I wanted to give back!

“Looks like I’m almost done – maybe another box or two, tops.”

Ned’s voice startles her, even though Nancy’s been trying her hardest to ignore what he’s been doing in her apartment for the last few hours. She turns around from her position on the couch to see him standing behind her with a carton in his hands. He carefully places it on top of the others, which are neatly stacked next to her front door.

“The snow’s really coming down out there,” she remarks, trying hard to sound casual, like what he’s been doing all afternoon hasn’t been tearing her up inside. She idly traces an unpolished fingernail against the fraying threads at the right knee of her Levis, the ones she’s had since high school.

Ned walks to the front window, where the parted curtains show the rapidly falling flakes and the deep purple of the early evening sky.

“Yeah, I’ll need to be careful maneuvering down the front steps,” he replies. “I see that your landlord hasn’t done a thing to shovel or salt the walkway, either. Guess I’ll have to throw some salt down when I’m ready to load up the van.”

She’s disappointed that the bad weather doesn’t seem to be dissuading him from his task, but she’s careful not to let it show on her face. “I think there’s still some in the closet by the door.”

“Great.” Ned turns away from the window and gives her a tight smile before heading back down the hallway towards her bedroom.

Heaving a deep sigh, Nancy pushes herself off of the sofa and makes her way to the window, where she watches the snow pile up on the sidewalk and parking lot of her apartment complex. The wind’s also kicked up, and she sees the bare tree limbs sway from side to side. She’s freezing, even though the heat’s cranked all the way up in her apartment – but then again, she’s been cold ever since Ned broke up with her four days earlier.

Nancy takes the two open sides of her threadbare pink-and-gray plaid flannel shirt and wraps them around her body to try and ward off the chill. She reaches inside the front pocket of her jeans and digs out an elastic band; as she scoops up her hair, she realizes for the hundredth time that week that it’s no longer long enough to put into a ponytail. Her fault for letting that damn jewel thief grab her by the hair and yank a large chunk of it out of her scalp; her new cut became a requirement, unless she wanted to walk around with her hair in uneven lengths.

It had also been her fault for letting the hunt for that damn jewel thief get in the way of a big date with Ned. It was a dinner with his new boss, and Ned had been furious that she’d missed it, so much so that he’d told her that their relationship was over later that night.

Nancy had been stunned – after years and years of him being sweet and patient and understanding about her job and missed dates, it seemed he’d had enough and snapped. He’d told her that he couldn’t live like that any more and that he needed someone who would act like his job and his needs were important, too.

Nancy had begged him to reconsider, pleaded with him not to leave her, but in the end, her words hadn’t had any bearing on his decision. He had walked out, leaving her in shocked silence.

She impatiently wipes the sleeve of her flannel shirt under each eye, crying from the memory of what had happened four nights ago, and wincing as the soft fabric grazes her still-raw cheekbones. After he grabbed her by the hair, the thief had pushed her against a concrete wall, scraping up her face as a result.

When she’d seen Ned on her front step earlier today, her heart had leapt with sudden hope, thinking that perhaps he’d reconsidered. It had sunk just as quickly when he’d announced that he was there to pack up his things. For the remainder of the day, Nancy had had to sit by helplessly and watch him slowly remove the remnants of the life they had been building together from her apartment.

Ned walks back into the living room, carrying yet another box. He stacks it up on top of the others and moves to stand by her side at the window.

“Done?” she asks, hating how her voice cracks at the end of the word. She folds her arms underneath her breasts.

“Nan, come on,” he says softly, gently placing his hand on her upper arm. “Please. Please don’t cry.”

She pretends to ignore him. “Where are you going to store this stuff?”

“In my parents’ garage until I can find a place. Along with the other stuff that I was going to…” Ned’s voice trails off.

“The stuff you were going to move into here?” she asks with a touch of bitterness.

Ever since he had been graduated from Emerson last June, the plan had been for Ned to find a job in Chicago and move into the apartment she had been renting since last year. They were going to stay in the apartment for a few years until they had enough money to buy a house or at least a townhouse.

However, the tough economy had made it more difficult than either of them had anticipated for Ned to find a job, and he’d stayed behind in Emersonville to complete an unpaid internship in the hopes that it would look good enough on his resume to make an employer take notice.

The strategy had worked; after months of searching, he’d landed a decent job and would start in a few weeks, just after New Year’s. In the meantime, he’s living in a tiny, crappy apartment in town with a roommate that he barely knows, while half of his stuff is at Nancy’s.

_And now he’s moving all of that stuff out_ , she thinks sardonically.

“Look, Nan…” He turns to face her; when she won’t meet his gaze, Ned puts his hand on her other arm and gently pulls her towards him. “Nan, this is already hard enough. Please understand why I’m doing this – it’s not because I don’t love-.”

“I understand perfectly,” she says, her voice surprisingly calm as she interrupts him. “You’ve known me since we were in high school, and ever since then, I’ve been a detective. Now you want me to change; since I won’t, you’ve rethought your decision to be with me. I get it, Ned.”

“Nan, it’s not like that!” he exclaims impatiently.

“Isn’t it?” Nancy’s annoyed to find that she’s crying again. “You want a woman who isn’t going to spend her nights tracking down a jewel thief into a warehouse where he’s hidden his stolen goods, one who isn’t going to be all bruised and swollen and have half of her hair ripped out when said thief realizes that she’s in the warehouse and has pictures of him with his stolen goods. “

“That’s not what this was about, and you know it, Nancy.” Now he sounds almost angry, and she’s glad for it. She’d rather have his anger than the pity he was giving her a few moments ago.

“I want a woman who knows how to balance her job and her personal life; one who shows up at one of my important work functions after she’s promised to do so. And I don’t think that it’s too much to ask for.”

“I’m sorry that I missed that dinner, okay?” she bursts out. “I’m sorry. I know it was important to you and I’m sorry that I was a shitty girlfriend. But I love you, and our relationship can’t be over, Ned. It just can’t be.” Her sentence ends in a near-howl, and she hates herself for it.

“You weren’t a shitty girlfriend, Nan- just a neglectful one.” Nancy winces at Ned’s words, at the truth in them. “And I’m tired of being neglected. I need more. I need someone who doesn’t shy away from making a commitment. I need someone who puts me first sometimes, because I’m tired of coming in second.”

“Ned, _please_. Can’t we talk about this? You know I love you and-”   
  


He shakes his head, and Nancy’s despair grows. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m sorry, Nan. Maybe one day we can be friends again, but right now I think we shouldn’t have any contact. No calls or texts or emails or Facebook messages…”

A horrible thought crosses her mind. “Have you met someone else? Is that what this is about?”

He shakes his head violently. “Nan, no! There is no one else. If that were the case, I would have told you.” He stares at her for a minute longer than he should before turning back towards the window.

“The weather’s getting even worse, and I really should get going.” Ned walks to the closet and pulls out his coat.

He turns the knob of the front door and kicks over the doorstop to prop it open. Just as he bends down to pick up the top carton on the pile, the apartment is plunged into total darkness.

“Shit,” he curses. “I’ll bet the wind and the heavy snow on the power lines took out the electricity.”

Nancy pushes the curtains apart even further to let in the weak light of the streetlamps so she can search for candles and flashlights. The sky’s now almost eerily pink, and the visibility is practically non-existent, thanks to the swirling snow and the high winds.

“Stay there, Ned,” she commands him as she slowly makes her way by touch to the kitchen. She rummages through the drawers until she finds a flashlight and flicks it on. She manages to dig up another and a few candles and a lighter and takes her haul back to the living room, where she carefully makes her way to where Ned’s standing, practically frozen to the spot where she left him.

He takes the flashlight she hands him; when he turns it on, she notices that he’s put down the carton. Ned closes her front door and leans against it.

“I think you’d better call the power company, Nan – find out when they expect to restore electricity.”

She finds her way back to the couch, her flashlight beam helping her not to trip in the darkness. Once she plops down on the couch, her legs crossed Indian-style, she grabs her cell phone off of the coffee table and calls information for the number. As she’s on hold, Ned comes over and drops down next to her. Nancy automatically uncrosses her legs to give him room. Before, he would’ve pulled her to his side and thrown his arm over her shoulders; now, it’s as if he can’t put enough space between them.

After what seems like an interminable wait, she finds out that the power won’t be restored for at least another twelve hours – the blizzard-like conditions throughout the Chicagoland area will make it impossible for the crews to fix the downed wires that likely caused the outage.

Ned’s not very happy when she tells him, but there’s nothing either of them can do. It’s not like she deliberately caused the storm that’s brought down the power lines, she wants to remind him.

“So I guess I’m stuck here,” he proclaims, still sounding annoyed.

“Sorry, Ned,” she says sarcastically. “Looks like you can’t meet whatever girl you promised to have drinks with tonight, after all.”

“I told you, Nancy,” he snaps, rising from the couch. “There is no one else.” Each word’s bitten off like it’s its own separate sentence.

“And why should I believe you?” she snaps back. “After all, you’ve been living in Emersonville while I’ve been here. And now that you’re about to come back for good, you dump me?”

“You know why I had to stay back there!” he exclaims angrily. “And I never cheated on you while we were living apart, Nancy. _Never_. Did girls come on to me? Sure! Were some of them pretty? Of course! But I never acted on any of it – I was always faithful to you. Can you say the same?”

“Are you really asking me about this again, Ned?” Now she’s furious, and remembering just how much his jealousy irritated her when they were a couple.   
“How many times do I have to tell you that I haven’t cheated on you!”

She can see his sneer from the beam of her flashlight. “About as many times as I have to tell you, I guess.”

Suddenly, she’s tired. It had been horrible and emotionally draining to watch him pack up his things, and their argument has only served to exhaust her even further. She’s also starving. Her appetite hasn’t been very good since the breakup, but now her stomach’s growling.

“Look, I don’t want to do this, Ned. We’re going to be stuck here for a while, so we might as well try to make the best of it and call a truce. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah,” he admits. “I could eat.”

Before their breakup, she would’ve teased him about his endless appetite. “Okay, then let’s see what we can make. At least the stove uses gas and not electricity.”

After they forage through the pantry and unearth a box of pasta and a jar of sauce, Nancy’s able to put together a quick meal of ziti, hearty tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese; she even manages to be resourceful enough to grill some slices of bread and spread melted garlic butter over them.

Once the meal is ready, she comes into the tiny alcove that serves as her dining room holding two plates. Nancy’s charmed to see that Ned’s lit several few taper candles and placed them in the center of the table; he’s also poured them each a glass of red wine.

“I thought that the wine would be good to warm us up. After all, the heat’s off and it’s cold as hell in here already.”

“Thanks, Ned,” she murmurs, placing his plate in front of him before she takes her seat.

They eat in silence; Nancy’s struck by how awkward it is. Normally, they’d be chattering about what had happened to them that day and what they’d be doing for the weekend. They’d both also be anticipating what they’d be doing in bed later on that night.

Once he’s cleaned his plate, Ned speaks. “So, Nan – what were your plans tonight?”

_Crying myself to sleep over you, just like I’ve done over the past four nights_ , she thinks to herself bitterly. Aloud, she says, “Nothing, really. Bess and George are still visiting their family out in Arizona, and my other friends already had plans, so I was just going to hang out and watch TV.”

“Guess that’s not an option anymore,” he comments.

“Nope.”

“Want to play cards or a board game?” he asks.

“Sure,” she shrugs. “Nothing better to do.”

He insists on clearing the table and washing the dishes while she hunts down a pack of cards and some games. She can remember other nights like this, where a romantic dinner at home would’ve been followed by his joking pleas for a round or three of strip poker. She would’ve protested for a while until giving in, both of them throwing games until they were undressed enough to make a mad dash for her bedroom, both of them giggling the entire way.

They’re halfway through a particularly competitive game of Scrabble when Ned starts to relax. He’s teasing her about the word she’s just placed on the board and she tells him that it’s just the start of what’s sure to be her winning streak.

Yet again, her hands go to her hair in an attempt to make a ponytail, and she curses herself when she again realizes that she can’t. She senses Ned’s eyes on her from across the table and looks up self-consciously to find him staring.

“Still not used to it, huh?” he asks, and he sounds almost sympathetic.

She shakes her head, still surprised to feel the tips of her hair brush against her cheeks. It used to fall past her shoulders; now, it’s in a modified bob cut that ends just at the curve of her cheeks.

“Well, I like it,” Ned tells her before he takes another slug of wine. “I hate the reason why you needed the cut in the first place, but I like the way it looks.” When he’d seen her the night of the warehouse stakeout, he’d been furious at the sight of her bruised face and her straggly, uneven hair, his lips pressed together so firmly they’d been white.

“Thanks,” she mumbles, suddenly feeling oddly shy. “I don’t know if this kind of cut suits me, though.”

“What are you talking about? Nan, you look gorgeous – but then again, you always look gorgeous, no matter what.” The sincerity and admiration in his gaze make her feel warm for the first time in days.

Nancy can either use his compliment as a springboard for reintroducing the topic of their reconciliation, or she can pretend to ignore it. She opts for the latter, teasing him about the delay in putting down tiles on the game board. “Stop trying to draw out your turn, Nickerson. You know you won’t be able to beat me after the words I just put down.”   
  


He snorts. “Get real, Drew. You and I both know that I’m going to whip your ass.”

When he lays out the tiles to form the word _zipper_ a minute later, he’s all but chortling with glee. “Beat that, baby.”

“Not bad, not bad,” she tells him, trying to suppress a grin. “You’ve learned a few things from me, I see.” He makes a face and she laughs.

“Want more wine?” Ned asks, reaching across the table and picking up the half-empty bottle.

This time, she can’t resist. “Trying to get me drunk, Ned? I though those days were over, now that we’ve broken up.”

He makes a sound of irritation but fills up their glasses anyway. “Don’t get smart.”

“Can’t help it. I just seem to recall nights like this when we both killed off more than a few bottles of wine and then ripped each other’s clothes off. Hoping for a repeat performance?” Nancy takes a long swallow of her wine, keeping her eyes trained on his face from over the rim of her glass.

“You know, if you’re going to be like this…” He puts his palms flat on the table and pushes himself to his feet. “Look, I know that I hurt you, and I’m sorry. But it’s for the best- better to make a clean break of things now, before we’re both really invested.”

She rises to stand, too. “You think I’m not invested, Ned? I have loved you since we were in high school! You’re the only guy I’ve ever really loved, the first and only guy who’s made love to me! Did you think that your leaving me _wouldn’t_ hurt? Well, it did. You hurt me the way I hurt you - are you happy now?”

The fierceness in Ned’s gaze is somehow made more ominous by the flickering candlelight. “Is that what you think what this was about, Nancy? Hurting you, getting back at you?”

“Honestly, yes!” she shoots back. “You wanted to make me suffer. And I deserve it, to some extent. But Ned – you can’t just walk away. I love you and you love me, and what we have together is amazing. You can’t stand there and tell me otherwise, when you know I’m telling the truth.”

“I never said that I don’t love you anymore, Nancy!” he shouts, and she can almost feel the frustration emanating off of him in waves. “I’ll probably always love you, damn you. But I can’t play second fiddle to your career and your life anymore. I just can’t do it anymore.”

The sorrow in his tone breaks her heart. “Ned, please. Give me another chance. Please. I’ll try to be better.”

“That’s the thing, Nan – you always say you will and then after a week, you’re right back to blowing off dates and ignoring me.”

Nancy feels herself flush, knowing he’s right. “But you can’t find what we have with someone else, Ned.”

“Maybe not,” he replies. “But I feel like I have to try.”

His words cause her eyes to well up with tears again, and she bites her lip, hard, to keep them from falling. “Please don’t do this, Ned. Please take me back.” Never before would she have thought she’d ever have to beg him like this, but she can’t seem to stop herself.

“Baby…I can’t. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” His voice is so soft it’s almost imperceptible. “It’s not good for me.”

Nancy looks down at her sock-clad feet, which look shadowy from the darkness of the floor, terrified that if she meets his gaze and sees the sadness in it, she’ll start crying and won’t be able to stop.

“Nan, I think I’m going to try and get some sleep. I’ve been up since six and ran a whole bunch of errands before I came here, and then I was packing up all afternoon…”

“Fine,” she replies, still staring down at her socks.

He blows out the candles and picks up his flashlight, making his way towards the couch. Nancy follows him, also using a flashlight to find her way back to the living room.

“Ned, you don’t have to sleep out here.”

“I think it’s for the best. If I stay in the bedroom with you…”

He leaves the sentence unfinished, but Nancy knows exactly what he was going to say. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s getting colder in here, the temperature’s only dropping outside, and it’ll be better if we huddle against each other for warmth. I promise not to jump your bones, Nickerson.”

Ned looks like he wants to argue with her but holds his tongue. They make their way down the now pitch-black hallway to her bedroom, where they prop their flashlights on the end tables in order to be able to see.

Nancy pushes back the covers before making her way to her dresser to pull out a pair of fleece sleep pants and a matching button-down shirt. Ned used to make fun of this set of pajamas all of the time, telling her that only she could make it seem sexy.

As she unbuttons her jeans and slides them down her legs, she can feel Ned trying not to stare. “What, Nickerson?” she finally asks. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me take off my clothes before.”

“I just didn’t think you would,” he replies. “It’s so cold in here.”

He’s right – it’s absolutely freezing, and she gulps as her bare legs are exposed to the air. “Well, my jeans are comfortable, but not to sleep in.” She quickly grabs the sleep pants from the edge of the bed and shimmies into them.

Next, she unbuttons her flannel shirt; when she reaches behind her back to unclasp the soft cotton bra beneath it, she inadvertently squeals as her nipples instantly harden from the cold.

“Your teeth are chattering, Nan. Come here.”

“Going to warm me up, Nickerson?” She tries for a teasing tone, but doesn’t think she’s quite pulled it off as her upper teeth clack against her lower ones. He comes over to her anyway and pulls her into his arms. The heat from his body instantly warms her and the softness of his sweatshirt feels good against the puckered tips of her breasts.

When he pulls back, she lets out a cry of protest, feeling chilled again. “If you’re trying to punish me, it’s working.”

“Nan, what the fuck did he do to you?” Ned asks, his voice rough as he traces his fingertips over her still-bruised ribs.

“Kicked me with one of his steel-toed boots,” she mumbles. “But just once.” She’d honestly thought he wouldn’t be able to see the marks from the beam of the flashlights.

“Oh, just _once_. That makes it better, because it was just once.” He’s attempting sarcasm, but the worry in his tone spoils it. “Baby, you can’t keep putting yourself into danger like that. He could’ve caused you to bleed internally -- you could’ve _died_.”

Nancy raises her chin defiantly. “It’s not your concern anymore, Nickerson. After all, we’ve broken up, right?”

“Stop it,” he tells her angrily.

“No, I mean it. You won’t have to worry about me anymore, because you’re going to meet a teacher or a biologist or a dancer, and she’ll live a quiet, safe life.

“She’ll be home when she says she’ll be, and she’ll join you for your work functions in some pretty dress, and you’ll go out to movies and concerts and go on vacations and nothing unplanned will ever come up to ruin things. You’ll have your nice, predictable life, just like you’ve always wanted.”

“Stop it,” he repeats, grabbing her by the upper arms. “Damn it, Nancy – I already told you that I’ll always love you. That means I get to worry about you forever.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Her voice is thick with tears, but she doesn’t let it hold her back. “No – that right will only be reserved for my boyfriend, and one day, for the man who’ll be my husband. If that won’t be you…” She pulls away from his grasp and stalks over to the bed.

Nancy blindly grabs for her fleece shirt and jams her arms into the sleeves; she can’t seem to button it, though, through her tears. The thought of someone other than Ned as her husband is entirely too much to handle after the day she’s had.

Ned walks back over to her and tenderly buttons up her shirt. “Nan…”

“You had the right idea – we should just go to bed and you can get out of here when the sun comes up.” She bats away his hands and finishes buttoning up before crawling into bed, hissing slightly as her body makes contact with the cold sheets.

Ned climbs onto the other side of the bed, wordlessly reaching for her. She struggles for a minute before surrendering – the feel of his arms around her again is just too much for her to resist. He smoothes her hair and she enjoys the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear.

They stay like that for a while; even though Nancy can’t see his face, she can sense that he’s not asleep.

“Ned?”

“Yeah, Nan?”

“Can you do something for me?” Her voice is tentative in the semi-darkness of the room.

“Of course,” he replies, sounding somewhat hesitant.

“Make love to me?” she asks softly. When he starts to protest - feebly, it seems to her – she plows on. “We didn’t get that sort of closure on the night we broke up. After you…after you dumped me, you just left. You owe me one last time, don’t you think?”

Ned sighs deeply, and she can tell he’s deliberating her request. “It’s not a good idea, Nan.”

“Why?” Nancy asks, pushing herself up to a sitting position. It’s much colder this way, out of his arms, but she needs to be able to look him in the eye.

“Because it’s like I’d be leading you on.”

“No, it’s not. I know where I stand with you, and I’m the one asking for it. You’ve told me a few times already tonight that it’s over, so there’s nothing for me to misinterpret, Ned.”

He looks up at her, and his face is half in shadow from the beams of the flashlights. “Nancy…”

“Ned…” She matches his tone, unwilling to give up on her request.

“It’s not a good idea,” he repeats weakly.

Nancy can sense that he’s about to cave, so she reaches down and places her palm flat against the crotch of his sweatpants. He instantly starts to stir.

“Well, at least one part of you still wants me.” Her tone is business-like as she strokes her palm up and down over the fleece.

“Shit, why can’t I ever seem to say no to you, Nan?” he growls.

In an instant, Ned has her pinned beneath his large, warm body, his mouth insistent against hers. Their tongues tangle, and all Nancy can think about is how many times she’s imagined this in the four days they’ve been apart.

Ned’s hands are at the front of her shirt, and both of them work frantically to undo the buttons. Once it’s open, he all but tears her pajama pants off, then pushes his hand into her panties.

Nancy hisses when his cold hands make contact with her warm inner flesh, but she parts her legs so he can go deeper. He lets go only to slide her underwear down her legs.

“Good,” she whimpers. “God, I want you so badly.”

“Shit, you’re already wet,” he says wondrously. He uses two fingers to enter her while he suckles at her breasts. His warm mouth feels incredible against her cold skin.

Sighing, Nancy runs her hands over his back, grabbing at the hem of his sweatshirt to push it up. Ned takes the hint and shifts so that she can yank the shirt over his head.

Once he settles back down on top of her, she slides her fingertips up and down his spine, as if trying to commit the contours and grooves to memory. After all, it may be the last time she gets to touch him like this. That thought makes her even sadder, and she grabs at his hair, forcing his head up so their mouths can meet again.

The feel of his lips on hers is something she’s experienced a thousand times, yet it still can make her insides tremble. She recalls the first time they kissed when she was just fifteen, in the front seat of his car after a date at the movies – she’d been anxious and a little scared when he had leaned in, but after that first time, she couldn’t get enough.

Ned breaks off their kiss with a loud pop. Reaching down, he angles himself towards her opening, and she helps to guide his way.

When he’s completely sheathed inside of her, he just gazes down at her, unmoving for a minute. Just when she thinks he’s about to say something, he slowly begins to thrust in and out.

Nancy wants to close her eyes and just let go, just give in to how good it feels, but she knows that she should savor the experience. Each sigh or groan he makes reminds her how perfect they’ve always been at this – they don’t need to talk to be able to know just how to give each other pleasure.

He’s taking his time and being thorough, and Nancy can feel her orgasm building. Part of her wants to get there already because the pressure building inside of her is almost too much to bear, but the rest of her wants him to drag it out as long as humanly possible so she doesn’t ever have to let him go.

Before long, though, she’s digging her nails into his back and moaning his name, tightening around him as she gives in to her release. Ned lets her finish before surrendering to his own climax with a long, shuddering groan. Spent, he collapses on top of her before shifting onto his side and drawing her to him.

Nancy’s always loved making love with him, but the time afterwards has somehow seemed even more intimate. He enjoys burying his face in the crook of her neck and letting his lips graze over her collarbone while he cuddles her to his body, and tonight is no exception. This seems so familiar, so perfect, that she pulls him even closer, gently letting her nails comb through his thick, dark hair.

“God, remember the night you moved in here?” he asks suddenly, his voice slightly muffled from her skin.

Apparently what they’ve just done has also set off his memories, too. “Yeah,” she says, still breathing heavily.

That night, it had also been snowing heavily – the bad weather had prevented her from moving in her furniture, but she had still insisted upon sleeping at her new place. Ned had grabbed some sleeping bags from the trunk of his car and dumped them in the middle of her bedroom floor.

After many celebratory toasts to commemorate her new independence, they’d finally been able to zip together the sleeping bags after several tries, giggling at each failed attempt. They’d then proceeded to make love all night, the snow and the candles and the wine making everything seem that much more romantic.

“I thought for sure that we’d get kicked out on my very first night here,” she laughs.

Ned chuckles. “Yeah, and I’m sure that your neighbors were thrilled to have a screamer move in here.”

“Shut up,” Nancy replies, but there’s no rancor in it. “God, my dad was not at all happy when he realized that you’d be staying over that night.”

“I can’t believe that he hadn’t figured out the real reason you wanted to move out until then.”

“At least you didn’t have to witness what it was like when I broke the news that you and I would be living together. He used the word ‘disappointed’. More than once.”

“That’s why I was going to propose right before Christmas,” he murmurs.

Nancy pulls away from him and bolts upright to a sitting position. “What?” she asks, astonished. It’s freezing and she’s still naked, but she could care less about either of those things right now.

“Shit,” he groans. “Nan, forget it…Forget I said anything, okay?”

But there’s no way she could now, not after hearing those words. “Ned…Oh my God.”

“Nan, please. Don’t-“

“Oh my God,” she repeats, still stunned.

“Look, I knew your dad was pissed about our living arrangements and I didn’t want him to think that I didn’t respect you - or him. I wanted him to understand that I was moving in because I intended to spend my life with you. I have a job now, which meant that I’d be able to give you stability…”

Nancy can’t hold back any longer. “Ned, I know what I did was incredibly stupid and thoughtless, and I don’t blame you for being angry with me. But please, _please_ give me another chance. We belong together – you know it, I know it, _everyone_ knows it.”

“Nan, come on and lie back down, okay?”

She remains sitting, wishing she had been smart enough to pull her top back on. “Please, Ned. I love you so much and I am so sorry.”

“Lie back down, okay?” he repeats.

She relents and he pulls her to his side, planting a kiss onto her forehead. “How do you always do this to me, huh?”

For the first time all evening, she feels a spark of encouragement. “What are you saying?”

“That I love you and I want you to get some sleep. We’ll talk about it in the morning, okay?”

“Ned…”

“Nan…I still love you and we have a lot of things to work out. It’s better if we do it after a full night’s sleep.”

He kisses her again, on the lips this time, before they both grab for their clothes and hastily pull them on. Once they’re dressed again, he leans over to click off the flashlight on his bedside table.

She does the same and settles back into bed, sliding into his arms again.

They’re silent for a few minutes, but Nancy can’t get her mind to stop racing. “Ned?”

Yeah?” His voice is thick with impending sleep.

“Are we really okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re really taking me back?” She feels foolish for pressing him, but she feels like she needs to.

“Yes, I’m taking you back, Nan. After all, didn’t you just tell me that we belong together?” His words send a wave of relief through her and she feels like she can finally relax.

“Thank you,” she tells him softly. “Thank you for reconsidering. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

He yawns. “I hope not.”

She’s finally able to fall asleep, feeling warm and safe in the circle of his arms.

\--

The sound of the power _whooshing_ on is what wakes her. Nancy can’t figure out why she’s so damn cold; she looks over and finds the other side of the bed empty. The sunlight is glaring in the frigid stillness of her bedroom and she groans loudly as she gets out of bed. The red digital numbers are flashing 12:00 but she ignores it; her main priorities are finding Ned and turning on the heat.

Walking through the hallway, she sees that the bathroom door is partially open and the room is dark, which means that Ned isn’t in there. She figures that he’s gotten up to make breakfast and pads her way down the rest of the hall, her footsteps causing the wooden floorboards to creak beneath her feet.

As she’s about to make her way into the kitchen, she glances over at the front door and notices that the cartons are missing from where Ned had stacked them last night.

That’s when the panic sets in. Not even bothering with a coat, Nancy throws open the front door and notes with horror that there’s a series of fresh bootprints scoring the snow on the front steps. What’s worse, Ned’s van is gone from where he parked it yesterday.

“No!” The word escapes like it’s been ripped out of her throat and echoes through the Sunday morning stillness outside. “No, no!”

It’s so cold out that the tears streaming down her face are all but freezing to her cheeks. Nancy quickly slams the door and makes her way to the dining area, where she thinks she left her cell phone last night. She has to call him, has to find out if she’s somehow misunderstood the situation.

As she gets closer to the table, she notices the piece of paper resting squarely in the middle of it. Her dread increasing, she reads aloud.

_Nancy_ _,_

__

_I’m so sorry that it had to be like this. I love you and I always will – that’s the truth. I just can’t be with you anymore, and I’m tired of trying to fool myself into thinking that things will change. We both know better, and I shouldn’t have dragged things out like I did last night. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t truthful with you._

__

_Please take care of yourself._

__

_Ned_

Nancy somehow manages to stumble to the couch, falling onto it on her side, her knees curled up in the fetal position. The sound of her sobs, harsh even to her ears, reverberates loudly in the emptiness of her apartment. For a few minutes, it’s the only noise she hears.

Until the shushing starts. It’s low at first, so quiet that Nancy can barely hear it over her crying, but the shushing rapidly gets louder and louder.

She’s trying to figure out where the sound is coming from when all of a sudden she feels something pinning her to the spot where she’s lying on the sofa. She thrashes against the strong arms holding her tight, flailing and kicking to try and get away.

Her eyes pop open to find Ned hovering over her. He’s using one arm to hold her and the other to stroke her hair. “Shhh, baby, it’s okay,” he soothes.

Nancy finally breaks free and bolts upright to a sitting position, reaching up to tug on a lock of her hair, surprised to find that it’s no longer resting on her shoulder blade.

She dimly starts to realize that she had been having a nightmare. Ned’s in bed beside her, and their breakup had all just been a horrible dream.

“Nan, it’s okay – you’re safe, I promise you. That guy who confronted you in the warehouse isn’t going to be able to hurt you ever again,” he vows with an edge of anger in his voice as he sits up and pulls her close to him.

“That’s not what it was about,” she tells him tremulously, her voice muffled by the hard muscle of his bare chest. After what had happened in her dream, she savors the feel of his strong arms around her and inhales deeply to take in his naturally masculine scent. It’s hard to let go, but she does, reluctantly.

Ned leans over to flick on the lamp sitting on his bedside table, and Nancy winces slightly as the room goes from pitch black to blazing bright. He silently gets up and pads out of the bedroom in his bare feet, flannel pants riding low on his hips, coming back a minute later with a glass of water. She takes it from him with a grateful smile and takes a small sip.

“Better now?” She nods. “So if it wasn’t about the asshole who beat the crap out of you the other night, then what was your nightmare about, baby?

Nancy looks down at the hand that’s not holding the glass, clenching and unclenching it. She’s terrified to say the words for fear that he’ll tell her that he really does mean to leave her, that he’s just been waiting for the right time. When she can continue to feel his expectant gaze on her, she knows she needs to give in.

“I dreamt,” she clears her throat, which has clogged from the tears she shed earlier, “I dreamt that… that you broke up with me because I missed the dinner with your new boss the other night.”

Ned makes a soft sound of surprise, but now she can’t seem to stop the words from tumbling out. “Yeah. I dreamt that you were so angry with me for breaking yet another promise, yet another date, that you ended our relationship. And then you came by to pack up all of the stuff you had here and I begged you to reconsider, but you wouldn’t.

“Then the power went out because there was a huge blizzard, and you had to stay the night…I asked you to make love to me one last time and you did; when I asked you again to take me back, you said you would but...” Here she pauses to use the corner of the sheet to dab at her damp cheeks, forgetting that she still has an abrasion over her cheekbone, thanks to her run-in with the jewel thief.

Ned tugs the sheet away from her and ever-so-gently pats her cheeks dry. She looks up at him for the first time and is unspeakably relieved to take in his expression of sympathy before continuing. “We made love, you said you’d take me back, but when I woke up in the morning, you were gone, along with all of your stuff. And you left me a note telling me you’d changed your mind.”

“Sweetheart,” he says soothingly. “Oh, sweetheart.”

“Ned, I know I told you before, but I’m so sorry for missing that dinner,” she says softly. “I know it was important to you, and you’re important to me, and I’m sorry.”

Telling him makes her feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of her; she’d apologized the night it had happened, but she had suspected that he’d been still been annoyed with her. _Hence; the nightmare_ , she thinks to herself.

“Baby, I know,” he says. “And I have to admit that I was angry and disappointed that you weren’t there. And worried sick when the police called to tell me that you were in the ER. Nan, that maniac could’ve killed you!”

“It was stupid of me to go without making sure I had backup,” Nancy admits. “I was so nervous that he was going to cut out of town and we’d never catch him, but I should’ve waited until I had someone to go with me.” She takes another sip of water before placing the glass on her nightstand.

Ned takes her hand and brings it up to his lips, brushing it against her knuckles. “Please promise me that you’ll never do that again, Nan. This time it was bruised ribs and a cut-up face and your hair ripped out of your scalp; next time, it could be a _lot_ more serious.”

“I promise,” she swears, and she almost means it.

“I think you’re probably being less-than-truthful with me, but I’ll accept it for now, since you’re so traumatized.” He gives her a teasing grin before turning serious again. “Are your ribs bothering you? Do you need more pain meds?”

“No, they’re fine,” she replies truthfully. Suddenly, she’s exhausted, so she lies on her back and pulls the covers over her body. “Ned, all I need is you.”

Ned settles down on his side next to her, throwing an arm around her waist as he props himself up on his elbow to gaze down at her. “I love you, Nan,” he tells her almost solemnly.

Nancy smiles. “I love you, too, Ned. And I’m so glad that it was just a bad dream, that you didn’t break up with me.”

“How could I ever live without my smart, beautiful, amazing Nancy, huh?” he asks, playfully dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Besides, I can’t wait to move in here permanently so I can finally leave that terrible apartment in Emersonville.”

“So it’s not me, it’s my larger apartment,” she teases back. “You just can’t wait to be able to play your video games and have a place to store all of your shot glasses from around the world.”

He gives her a wide grin. “You’ve found me out, Drew. I’m not coming to live here because I’m crazy in love with you and can’t stand being away from you and your hot body anymore; I’m doing it because I need more room to spread out.”

“Oh, so, now it’s about my body?”

“That’s right, Nan.” He picks up his arm and gently toys with one of her nipples through the thin fabric of her tank top, teasing it erect. “And I seem to remember that you told me we’d made love in that dream of yours.”

“We did,” she acknowledges.

“So, how was I?”

Nancy giggles, batting her eyelashes at him. “Fabulous, as always.”

“Did you come?”

“Of course; don’t I always? The only bad part was when I found out that you’d ditched me in the morning, after you’d promised that we were getting back together.” She balls her hand up into a fist and playfully punches him in the abdomen. “A pretty shitty thing to do to a girl, Nickerson.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound like me at all, Nan. But just to make sure you’re not angry with the dream version of me, why don’t we try it again? I feel like I need to make it up to you.”

“Even though it’s late, I’ll take you up on that offer, Nickerson.” She reaches over her head and strips off the tank top in one swift motion. “And if you’re really looking to make things right with me, then you’ll promise me that you’ll never leave me in real life.”

Ned bends his head down to give her a soft, sweet kiss. When he finally pulls away, he smiles at her. “I will never, ever leave you, Nancy. No matter what.

“Whatever else happens in this world, you can always count on me and my love and support.”

“Thank you for reassuring me,” she replies in a soft whisper. “And the same is true for me, Ned – I know that I’m not always good about keeping my promises to you, but you can be guaranteed that this one will hold true.”

“I’m glad.” He kisses her again.

“But there was something else you told me in my nightmare.” The words are out of her mouth before she can stop herself.

“What’s that?” he asks, lazily running the pad of his thumb over the center of one of her nipples, his head down.

She feels foolish even bringing this up, but it’s too late to back out now – if she tries to lie to him, she knows he’ll be able to tell. “Before you agreed to take me back …you told me that you had originally planned on asking me to marry you over Christmastime.”

Ned looks up at that. “Did I, now?”

Nancy nods, swallowing hard. She wants to look away, but the sudden intensity in his brown eyes makes it impossible to do so.

“And did I tell you how I was going to do it? Did I say I had a ring?”

“No – just that you were going to propose. Before you broke up with me, of course.”

“Of course. “

Nancy waits for him to say more, ask more questions; when he doesn’t, she hurries on. “Because you finally had a job and were going to move in here permanently, you wanted to do things right. You wanted to be able to look my dad in the eye and tell him that you were serious about spending your life with me.”

He seems to ponder her reply for what’s probably a minute but seems like an eternity to Nancy. “Is that all I said?” She nods, afraid to speak.

“Did I also tell you that you’re the best thing that ever happened to me and that I can’t wait to be able to come to you every night? And that I’m madly in love with you and think you’re the most incredible woman in the world?”

“No,” she whispers.

“I didn’t? I can’t believe I would’ve missed that.”

“Well, you were telling me this after you’d already broken up with me, Ned,” she points out.

“True,” he says solemnly. “So, since Christmas is only a few weeks away, would my girlfriend be able to control her raging curiosity and keep her patience?”

Nancy’s heart begins to hammer in her chest as his words sink in. “Patience?”

“Yeah, I mean…If, theoretically, there would be a proposal coming at around, say, Christmastime or New Year’s, could I trust her not to rip apart her entire apartment or search all of my things to look for a theoretical ring, if one were to exist?”

By now, Nancy can’t stop a wide grin from spreading across her face; Ned’s got a matching one on his, too. “Well, since it is only a few weeks away, she could maybe keep herself in check. Theoretically, of course.”

“Good to know,” he replies. “And could I maybe ask her not to search her boyfriend’s emails or cell phone or calendar to try and figure out where and when a theoretical proposal could take place?”

Nancy pretends to mull over his request. “She could do that.”

Ned nods his head once, decisively. “Okay.” He moves his hand back to her breasts.

“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?” she demands playfully.

“What else is there to say? We were just having a theoretical conversation.” His tone is entirely too innocent.

“Uh huh.”

“Actually, there is one more thing…” He props himself up on his elbows.

“Yes?” Nancy hopes she doesn’t sound too anxious.

“Because he hasn’t started his job yet, your boyfriend doesn’t have a lot of money. He’s been saving up for years, but he didn’t have much as he would have liked. In theory, he could’ve waited a few more years, I guess, but he just didn’t want to let another year go by without asking his girlfriend to be his forever.”

His expression is so earnest and sweet that she has to remind herself to breathe. “Uh huh…”

“So, if there were a theoretical diamond ring, it wouldn’t be nearly as large as the one he would have wanted to give her. Because if he could, he’d give her everything.”

Her throat is thick with tears, this time the happy kind, when she responds. “He already does give her everything she needs and wants, so she could care less about the size of a diamond. He could give her a ring from the dollar store and it would be perfectly fine- she’d proudly show it off because it came from him.”

“Well, it didn’t come from the dollar store.” He grins briefly. “But the diamond in this theoretical ring…Nan, it’s really small. Like, really, really small.”

She’s touched by the apologetic look on his face, though it’s completely unnecessary, in her opinion. “She won’t care, Ned - I promise you. All she wants is for him to be hers forever, and if he should ask her to marry him – theoretically, of course – she’d say yes in an instant.”

“Really?” he asks hopefully.

“Definitely.” She nods her head emphatically.

“Good,” he sighs, and his relief is obvious. “So now that we’ve exhausted this topic, I think that I had just started to make love to you before I was interrupted with someone’s questions. I think she forgot that she wasn’t interrogating a suspect.”

Nancy giggles. “You have to admit that my interrogation techniques are well-honed from years of practice. You broke down almost immediately. Thank God you’re so terrible at keeping secrets from me.”

“It’s not my fault that you’re so sexy, Drew,” Ned tells her in mock protest. “We’re in bed and you’re half-naked – can you blame me for being so distracted that I let down my guard?”

“Well, hurry up and get me all-the-way naked, Nickerson.”

Ned needs no further encouraging. He pushes her flannel pants down and off and dives on top of her. Nancy lets out a delighted squeal as he lets his hands roam all over her, her squeals and giggles turning to moans as he alternates between using his hands and his lips.

Afterwards, Nancy’s completely and totally relaxed, and she’s just about forgotten the terror and sadness that lingered from her nightmare. Ned’s curled her up to him and is running his lips against her collarbone, and she slowly runs her fingers through his dark hair.

She hears his breathing start to even out, signaling that he’s drifting off, and that’s when Nancy finally falls asleep, feeling warm and safe in the circle of his arms.


End file.
